Top Five

Krissy is hosting a Top Five Day which is such a fun idea! And, also, very challenging. I am a terrible photographer and Brian is worse. So, I actually don't possess any of my truly and totally favorite picks. My friend Heather has taken all of those. Visit her site and you may catch a few (including some of my belly!). But, of the ones in our iPhoto folder, I present:

Alaina...





Aaron...





Brady...





Brett...


(I'm cheating here and including some of Heather's pics!)

Freaks.

We try, we really do, to get the kids out of the house as much as possible. Brian is excellent at packing up the three boys and getting them out somewhere at least once a day during the week. One outing last week was to one of his doctor's appointments. They loved it. I am not so great at it, but I think that is simply a lack of practice. I just need to do it more often.

This weekend we decided to go to a little event in our town. We figured it was local, it was relatively inexpensive and it was outdoors. Three for three, right? Plus it included all of the elements our children require to have a good time: people to watch, animals to pet, and music to clap to. (Bonus: there was plenty of food for Aaron to eat.) There were rides, games, etc. But, as it turns out, we were the walking human side show that night.

Everywhere we went we saw the stares and heard the gasps. A few people were bold enough to approach us: "Are they triplets?", "How old is your oldest?", and my personal favorite, "How did THAT happen?" Brian told that particular fellow they multiple with water at night... Seriously. What was worse were the people who talked to each other about us as we walked by "Oh look, and there's ANOTHER ONE on her back."...

People, we have a big family. And, yes, our children are young and close in age. But it happens. Is it really that abnormal? What made me feel especially bad on this night was the fact that the children were all clean (no food or drink stains!), well-behaved, smiling at everyone, not whining asking for souvenirs or tickets to go on lame rides. They even clapped enthusiastically for the sub-par band. Maybe we were being judged on their poor taste in music. But if we are being judged when we put our best foot forward, it makes me want to never go out again for fear that someone may actually CRY in public. What would people say then?

The good news is that the children are to young to notice or care right now. They just had a fun time with their family. But it bothered me. A LOT. And it even started to get to Brian. And almost nothing gets to Brian.

So, my question is: at what point will we be able to go out in public as a family unit and not have to endure the stares, and whispers and 1,000 logistical questions?

If you have the answer, please let me know.

Movin'

I hate moving.

I say that every single time I move. And there have been a LOT of moves since high school graduation. But it gets exponentially worse the more people you add into the family. There is just so much more STUFF. And schedules to be kept in the process? And kids who want their stuff to be right where they left it? Forget it.

So, we are 75% moved. Give or take. Painting is complete and the big furniture has been moved. But there is still plenty to be done. We're getting there.

Last night was the first overnight in the new house. For some of us. It was supposed to be for all of us. But once we hit late afternoon and realized there was no way the house could be adequately cleaned and childproofed by night, we decided not to move the boys' cribs. So, they stayed put with Daddy. But since my clothes and Alaina's bed had already been moved, the princess and I spent the night in the new house. (Not that she slept in her bed. The shadows in her new room led her to spend the night with me. Understandable.)

Fortunately our current situation allows this sort of piece-meal arrangement. Unfortunately, the children are reaching the end of their collective rope and are flat out of patience with the chaos in their life. There has been plenty of crankiness going around.

The end is in sight though. We should all be back together in the next 48 hours. Give or take. In the mean time, I'll leave you with the random thoughts that have been clunking around my head during this process:

1. I wish bugs could figure out that flying into wet paint leads to certain death. And a lot of anger on my part when I see them stuck to my freshly painted doors.
   
   
2. Much like you shouldn't go to the grocery store when you are hungry, you should not go to Target/Bed Bath & Beyond when you are mid-move.
   
   
3. It is amazing how the list of things that "would be nice to have" suddenly turned into the list of "urgent priorities" once the house became officially ours.
   
   
4. For quick local moves, packing in advance is over-rated. My chosen method for this move: throwing things into large trash bags and making a few runs over the course of the weekend. This has worked well for clothes, toys, bedding, etc. It's also gotten me off the hook for not preparing for this move until 24 before go-time.
   
   
5. Home Depot is not my friend. I really miss living near a Lowe's. Although, I am sure HD is not a fan of me either when I appeared there yesterday wearing a paint-stained t-shirt with paint-stained boxer shorts from 1996 (which did not match the t-shirt), while sporting paint-streaked legs, no make-up and one of Alaina's headbands. A vision of beauty, to be sure.
   
   
6. When living in a suburban neighborhood, window treatments should be high on the list of priorities. Lesson learned.

Big Things

You may or may not have noticed a return to more frequent posting this week. I am SO glad to be back. It feels good to finally have the mental energy to blog again. I said mental, not physical, because I'm literally exhausted at the moment. But mentally, I'm back to my old self because...

WE'RE MOVING!

I have been beyond stressed out about this transaction and it really took a toll. Not that anything was wrong, but I just can't relax about things like mortgage commitments and interest rates and home inspections.

We found this house waaaay back in the beginning of April. We closed last Friday. Nothing went wrong in the process but I was afraid every step of the way that something would. This is the first real estate deal we've ever done where it's all in my name. I kept waiting for someone to call and say "oh, yeeeeeah, remember that electric bill from your first apartment...? NO MORTGAGE FOR YOU." Thankfully nothing like that happened.

As the date grew closer, Brian kept asking "are you excited YET?" and I kept telling him I wouldn't be excited until I had the keys in my hand. Fast forward to last Friday and the closing. Everything was great. My hand didn't cramp up from all the signing. We made lovely conversation with the seller. And we walked out of the closing...keys most definitely NOT in hand. There was a glitch with the wire transfer on the funds and...let's just say that those post-closing margaritas were responsible for any relaxing that went on. The funds came through about 12 hours later, no problem, and now? NOW I'm excited!

This home is approximately 2 miles away from my parents in the town where I grew up. I never thought I'd move back there but the support my parents provide is invaluable. Plus, I've reconnected with a lot of people I'd lost track of long ago (thanks, Facebook!) and remembered that there really are a lot of people and places that make me happy here. Brian gave me the greatest gift ever when he not only accepted my desire to live here, but embraced it.

After a ridiculously crazy week of painting and touching things up, we are moving this weekend into a house that comfortably accommodates all of us. AND, leaves us room to grow. (No, not in numbers. Although....) Most importantly, after 8 months of sharing a bedroom with my little love man, Brett is moving out of our room and into his own. Do you hear the chorus of angels? I do.

Blogging will be on hold until after this weekend but I promise to return with a photo-filled post of the before and after shots of the new house, including the (by request) pink and purple princess room that may blow one little girl's mind when she sees the finished product.

Brett, Brett, Brett

Have I mentioned lately what a rock star this kid is? Let me do that now...

He is sitting up on his own.

He is crawling. It's an interesting technique where he tries to combine crawling with pushing himself up into a standing position. I predict running before walking

He has cut his two bottom teeth. I only know that because I spotted them while changing his diaper last night. And they are out. No whining, no crying, no fever or diaper rash (like his siblings) to indicate a major development. Just two teeth, just like that. The top two - upon further investigation - are poised to pop out any day.

He eats like a horse.
He waves, particularly at his older siblings. The boys adore him.
But he holds the most special power over his big sister. Everything he does causes her to speak to him in a voice so high-pitched, the neighborhood dogs come running.
He tries to pull up in his crib when he sees me in the morning. His smile is more effective at waking me up than coffee.
He has taken to growling (while grinning) as his main form of communication.

He has the world's SOFTEST hair. Like silk.

Have I mentioned he never cries? Because he doesn't. If he does, I know he is a) stuck somewhere, b) absolutely starving, or c) wanting to be put into his bed.

God, he's amazing.

Mother of the Year

A few people lately have given me some very nice compliments on my Mommy skills. While I appreciate those kind words, I feel in fairness to my children, I should present the other side of Mommy.

1. I let the children eat off of the floor. In fact, I often encourage it. I have undone everything Alaina has been taught in pre-school about floor+food=germs in your body with one “The germs on our floor at home? You already have those germs. Go ahead and eat that.” I do not rush to clean up the scraps on the floor from the boys’ dinner because I know they’ll graze on that stuff later. Perhaps I miss the dog, perhaps I’m just the laziest Mother on the planet. Debatable.
2. I try not to lie to the children, but I have been known to stretch the truth. For example, did you know that 9 out of 10 toys in our house have special batteries that can NOT be replaced? Also, chocolate chip cupcakes actually equal blueberry muffins.
   
3. I do not, nor have I ever, sterilized a bottle nipple. Even with my firstborn I did not do this. No one is any worse for the wear, I assure you.
4. On a warm summer night, I will remove the children's diapers and count a dip in the kiddie pool as a bath.
5. Occasionally I will “not see” bad behavior if no one is in any immediate danger and they are occupied enough that I can get a chore accomplished. When I am done with my chore I will “see” them and put an end to it.

I’m sure there’s more. Maybe this will become an ongoing series…

My take on J&K+8

Since everyone else is talking about it, I feel compelled to just throw out my two-cents re: Jon & Kate.

Let me preface by saying I don’t watch the show. I DID watch the first two "specials" where they first introduced the family. I was pregnant with twins and sucking up every bit of insight as to what life with multiples might be like. I enjoyed those two shows. I understood why they did them: a chance to give the world a glimpse at their unique situation, a chance to sock away some (probably) much needed extra cash. And, honestly, I thought Kate was pretty damn clever to get on national TV and flash her stomach because, honestly, I would do it too if I thought there was even a REMOTE chance someone would donate their surgical services to fix it for me.

But then, the series started and I thought, eh. Too much. Too much Kate being neurotic with a heavy dose of bitch. Too much Jon looking like he didn’t want to be there (Yes, even in the beginning he had that look. Go back and watch your DVDs). But mostly, I was very angry at the fact that those poor kids were being pimped out. Sure, now their parents could afford to stay home with them (when they’re not out on the road doing guest-speaking and promotional tours, that is), but is giving up any chance of living a private life worth it?

Also, once Jon could afford to quit his job, in my mind, they stopped being relatable. Show me how a family with 8 kids gets by. REALLY gets by. How do they get dinner on the table and the kids ready for bed when Dad has to work and Mom is at her wits end from being home with them all day (or vice versa like in our case). Because THAT? That is interesting to me. That is inspiring to me. Seeing them fly off to Hawaii or Disney on a trip that is paid for and a whole SLEW of behind-the-scenes help that you just know would never allow a child to get lost…that is not something I care about.

And the whole marital thing. Insert big, deep, sad sigh here. Kate’s theory that parents of multiples are more likely to get divorced? Sure, I’ll buy that. It’s stressful. Finances are tight, time is tight, there is not a lot of chance to be alone and connect, there is physical and mental exhaustion. But, people, you work on it. You listen to each other and try to consider what the other person needs. You MAKE some time to spend together. When one person says they’re (ahem) done living their life on camera, perhaps you at least pretend to consider those feelings. I don’t think the breakdown of this marriage can be blamed entirely on multiples though. I think it is more likely that they are victims of the reality show curse. And it sucks for the kids. Jon and Kate, they chose this life. The kids? They did not. And if I'm being honest, I'll throw out that Jon and Kate actually chose the life with multiple-multiples as well. Hit your archives and you'll hear Kate saying something like "We knew we'd probably end up with another set of twins"...so...I'm just saying.

I hope they are able to figure this all out. Whether they stay married or not…who knows. I just hope they try to regain some semblance of normal for those kids while they still can. And the first step towards that goal: getting the hell off of national television.

Good Kids are Bad News

This Memorial Day weekend was basically perfect* as far as parenting goes. The children were on schedule. They were happy. They wanted to be with us (in a fun, non-clinging sorta way) and each other. They enjoyed the activities we had planned and they amused themselves in the down time. It is weekends like these where I get delusional and think "this parenting thing is easy...we should do more of it."

CRAZY.

This is was the first weekend in (essentially) YEARS that has been relaxing AND we've had the children with us. Sunday afternoon I was able to enjoy a beer (or two) in a glass bottle while the children played. I took a hot coffee into the playroom on Monday morning. While they were in there. Playing. And I drank the whole thing. While it was hot. Do I want to give that up again?

We went as a family to the park. Brian and I were able to climb the equipment with all of the kids (thanks to the new backpack!) and I was able to lift them. No more being pregnant and waddling the summer away (like the last two years). Do I want to give that up?

And speaking of not being pregnant...hello! I am not in a doctor's office once a week (or more). I am not afraid that a baby (or babies) is going to pop out of me unexpectedly at any second. And the bed rest. I'm not on BED REST anymore. Do I want to give that up?

Then there is the quiet time. We get two-three hours of quiet every afternoon like clockwork. Finally, the littlest boy is on something I would dare call a day-time schedule. And they all go to bed by 8:30 at night. After waiting so long for this to be achieved, do I want to give that up?

No. Realistically I do not. But then, the kids behave and they kiss me and they learn to say Ma-Ma and they hug me and want to hold my hand or they fall asleep -- drunk on milk -- in my arms and I think...and I think...and I think....

Shut up, mind. Shut up.

*Perfect right up until last night before bed when Alaina tumbled out of her brothers' stroller landing on her head in the driveway. I think she was more scared than hurt. I, on the other hand, may or may not have suffered a sympathy concussion.

Jumping Right Back In

• Brett said "Ma-Ma" in what I will argue to my dying day was the proper context this weekend. When Brian mercifully scooped him up at the un-Godly hour of 5 am (Brett's new chosen wake-up time) he launched into a chorus of "Ma-MA? Ma-MA?", clearly looking for the one who usually gets him up at that time. That kid is a genius for sure. He is also creeping forward, reluctantly, while he is ohsoclose to actual crawling. If only his feet wouldn't keep getting tangled up together, there'd be no stopping him.

• Aaron has mistakenly come to the conclusion that not only do "tweets" (birds) live in our backyard, but "quacks" (ducks) and "doo-el-doos" (roosters) do too. He walks into the yard and starts calling for them. Then he plays. But he will sporadically stop playing to call out in hopes one of these feathered friends will magically appear. Aaron has also become the neighborhood greeting committee with his waving and his "hi"s and his blowing kisses for the duration of our nightly family walks.

• While driving home from the library on Friday, Alaina informed me that "there are three different 'to's', Mommy. Did you know that?" I asked her what they were and she told me "t-o, t-o-o, and t-w-o." Man, I love pre-school. Earlier in the week while shopping for birthday gifts for two of her classmates, she was (without prompting) able to recognize all the personalized magnets containing names of her various classmates including Cameron, Ryan, Matthew, Riley, Ethan, and Alyssa. Sadly we could not find the name she was looking for, Max. (You think that would be common enough to be included on the display, but it wasn't.)

• Brady has become the master of dance in our house. He will tap, point, kick, and generally rock-out to any music you give him. He finishes each dance with a generous round of applause for himself. He has also become the "clean-up" champion. When he finishes his drink, he brings his cup to the sink. When he finishes his snack, he brings his bowl (or wrapper) to the sink. When he or Aaron take off their shoes in the house, he puts them away. He races to put away blocks at the end of the day. And just like Pavlov's dog, he'll clean just about anything else if you break out a chorus of "clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere...."
  

• Pre-tubby time on Saturday night, I asked the boys if they wanted to do pee-pee on the potty. It was a random long shot. I didn't even have a potty seat out, I just plopped them on the grown-up seat after removing their diaper. Brady couldn't get off fast enough. But Aaron sat there smiling and looking like he wanted something to happen. I'm not getting my hopes up, but his reaction was better than I had expected. The boys have also mastered eating with utensils just in time for summer BBQs where eating with your fingers is totally appropriate.

• Brett has worked his way up to three meals of solid foods per day. As a result, he is napping on a consistent basis, in almost perfect alignment with A&B's afternoon naps and Alaina's "quiet time". He is also wearing the same sized diaper as his big brothers. And, occasionally, the same sized clothes. He almost always wears a larger sized hat.

• Alaina has been taking swimming lessons every Saturday morning for the past few weeks. She is old enough now that she goes in without a parent - just her, the teacher, and several other students. There are lifeguards assigned to watching the kids "on the wall" while the teacher takes the children out for one-on-one work. This week they were introduced to the elementary backstroke. Harder still, they learned how to SAY "elementary backstroke". They also swam the length of the pool (not the width, but the length) without a bubble. She is amazing to watch because she focuses so intently on what the instructor is saying and doing. She so clearly wants to be a success and she is so serious. But even in the midst of all her concentrating, she will periodically glance over at me with a twinkle in her eye and a little smirk like "you're catching all this great work, right?" Love her.

Makes My Monday

Q: What is better than having a spotless car?
A: Having someone else clean that car for you.
Thanks to Brian for winning a bet on some NFL football stuff (that I didn't understand and don't really care about) and thanks to Uncle Paul and Auntie Liz for paying up this weekend.

And thanks to Aaron and Alaina for supervising and making sure everything was done correctly!

What Makes your Monday? Play along at Twinfatuation!